A Second Chance
by ToaXabineh
Summary: (Pacific Rim/TFP au, no pairings, B-day fic for Rian Moeru!) After Breakdown's death, Knockout figured he'd never get to experience Drifting again. The melding of two minds, the exchange of memories and emotions, the thrill of combining to use a Jaeger to fight the Kaiju... But then a boy with dark blue eyes and an intriguing talent of syncing with Jaeger proves him wrong.


**Hey all!**

 **So this is a birthday oneshot for my buddy, Rian Moeru, who's birthday is in a couple days! Happy Birthday, Rian! XD**

 **Rian asked for a Pacific Rim/TFP au fic, and so ta-dah! Here it is! There are some differences in details between this and the Pacific Rim movie, like not all pilots have to be Drift compatible or even have to be able to Drift at all to pilot a Jaeger! There's a few other minor details that are switched up, but nothing too drastic I don't think!**

 **Also, some details used from the Pacific Rim movie may not be correct, as I've never seen the entire movie! Don't judge too harshly please!**

 **Anyway, enjoy reading!**

 **Dislclaimer's on my prof., and sorry for any spelling errors!**

* * *

Sometimes, Knockout really hated his job.

Especially today, he noted as he strode down the winding corridors of the base. Yeah, today he _really_ was beginning to regret his line of work.

Every few months, students that were in their junior year would be brought in from several high schools from several different states, and each time a few Jaeger pilots would be chosen to run the students through tests with their Jaegers to determine if any of the teenagers had the potential to be Jaeger pilots. Today and tomorrow were the days the tests would officially be, and Knockout had the great misfortune of being one of the pilots chosen to help run the tests.

Honestly, who thought it would be a good idea to have _him_ of all people do this? Knockout was impatient, he knew this. He also had little to no tolerance for kids, and the thought of having hormonal teenagers in his beautiful Jaeger made KO cringe. He could already see it, finger prints smudging the shining red plates, pulling at wires and circuitry that they had no business messing with…

"Hey! Hey KO!"

Knockout paused, glancing back. He continued walking at a bit of a slower pace as Bumblebee ran to join him at his left. The young man grinned brightly, messy blonde hair that was streaked with black hanging in front of large blue eyes.

"Knockout, I heard you're helping run the tests today!"

Knockout scoffed in derision.

"Unfortunately, yes."

'Bee cocked his head curiously, the action seeming a bit juvenile for the twenty-three-year-old.

"Huh? C'mon, aren't you excited? It'll be great if we can find a few more pilots!"

Knockout rolled his eyes, pushing a strand of red hair away from his eyes.

"Ah yes, it'll be _great_ to have hormonal teenagers running around, no doubt causing trouble, possibly damaging Jaegers –which _I_ have to repair, by the way, and don't get me started on all the training they have to go through!"

"It won't be so bad." 'Bee insisted. "They aren't toddlers, it isn't like they'll go around trying to climb into Jaegers and stuff."

"Oh no? You remember what happened two years back, don't you? That egotistical girl snuck into a Jaeger suit and tried to operate it all on her own." Bumblebee cringed, and Knockout smirked. "Ah, so you do remember."

"Well, that was just one time!" 'Bee persisted. "None of the kids today will be that, uh…"

"Idiotic? Stupid? Completely and _utterly_ -"

"Just try and relax." Bumbleebee cut the older man off. "It'll be fun, you'll see!"

Knockout sighed, watching as 'Bee ran off.

"Yeah. Fun." He grumbled.

He wasn't convinced.

* * *

Knockout leaned against a wall, arms crossed over his chest and an unimpressed expression on his handsome face as he looked over the crowd of teenagers that had gathered in the hanger. There was a wide range of gender, race and appearance among them all, but they were all dressed in the simple grey t-shirts and loose black sweatpants that they'd been provided with upon arrival (the simple clothing allowed connecting the Jaeger to the person easier and quicker).

The teens were chattering quietly amongst themselves, staring up at the large Jaegers that filled the hanger bay with unconcealed awe. Sometimes their gazes would turn to the mechanics and engineers as they ran by, hurrying to finish preparations with the Jaegers, ensuring everything was up to par and that all safety regulations were met before they had the kids entering the mechas.

A flash of white hair caught KO's eyes, and he quickly realized that Megatron and Optimus had arrived. The teenagers apparently noticed as well, as a hush fell over the large group.

Megatron and Optimus were beyond well known. Their names were in history books, people learned who they were during kindergarten nowadays, even. The brothers had been the first two Jaeger pilots in existence, and were drift compatible to boot. They now served as leaders of the pilot force.

Megatron, an albino man with a temper, was known to be a fierce soldier with decades of combat experience under his belt. On the opposite end of the spectrum, his brother, Optimus, was a dark haired man who was a beloved leader, both kind and strict –when he spoke, everyone listened.

The two brothers moved to stand before the group of visiting children, Megatron scowling as he usually did, while Optimus offered a kind smile that seemed to soothe the more anxious looking teens.

Knockout zoned out as Optimus went through the now over-used welcoming speech and talked about how the testing would go and what safety regulations needed to be followed (Knockout had heard it enough times now he could almost quote it), and he instead looked over at his Jaeger.

It had….It had honestly been while since he'd last piloted the bright red mecha. Of course he sometimes had to use it, had to go into combat with a random pilot, but the last time he'd actually piloted often was back when…

When Breakdown had still been alive.

The thought of his best friend made KO's chest ache, and he forced himself to turn his thoughts onto other things, like wondering just how many drinks he'd have to have tonight before he could fully relax. Considering he'd be spending several hours both today and tomorrow with hormonal kids…yeah. He'd be downing quite a few drinks tonight. And tomorrow night.

Slowly, Knockout's attention returned to what was being said.

"-…You will be separated into four groups, and each group will be assigned to one of the four pilots who will be running the tests to assess whether or not any of you may have a future as a Jaeger pilot."

At this, an excited murmur rippled across the crowd of kids. Megatron interjected before Optimus could continue.

"And know that the likelihood of one being able to pilot a Jaeger is less than eleven percent, so don't go daydreaming of a future fighting Kaiju just yet." A wicked grin flashed across Megatron's face as several teens shifted uncomfortably. Optimus sent his brother a stern look that clearly said 'play nice' before turning back to the students, eyes moving to the papers in his hands –a list of the students and to which pilot they would be assigned, Knockout realized.

Heaving a soft sigh, Knockout pushed away from the wall, heading for his Jaeger and mentally preparing himself for hours of pure torture as Optimus began to read out the list.

* * *

Knockout felt ready to bang his head against a wall.

Kid after kid came through, and Knockout was required to spend an hour with each of them, seeing how well they synced with the mecha (if at all), testing if they could move it with minimal instruction, and so on, so forth. If they could handle that, then Knockout would sync with the mech and see how they could handle running a Jaeger with a second pilot for the rest of the testing session.

Some of the teens were decent enough, they listened to his instructions and did as told. Others were annoying, some of them no doubt imagining that the life of a pilot was in some way glamorous and pestering him with questions that had no place in being asked during an assessment ("Have you ever seen Optimus and Megatron in battle?" "How much do you get paid?").

One kid, a red head from Nevada named Vince, had the pure audacity to stride into Knockout's Jaeger as if he owned it, proclaiming he would be the best fragging pilot he'd ever seen. He was more egotistical than Knockout himself –it had been thoroughly rewarding to see the boy flush with embarrassment when he couldn't even manage to synchronize with the mecha. Best pilot indeed. Knockout had nearly laughed his aft off.

Twelve long hours yielded three teens who had at least a bit of promise from his group of kids (they could at least make the Jaeger move, if a bit shakily, and seemed capable of handling a second pilot and didn't fight for control in the process). By the end of the day, all together, only eleven kids so far had showed any real chance of being future Jaeger pilots. A low number, considering sixty kids had gone through the testing today, but it wasn't all too surprising. Jaegers were complicated mechanical master pieces, and it took a certain mind to connect and control them. Proficient pilots had a specific form of brain chemistry, one that few were innately born with, so no one really expected many candidates to come from these testing sessions.

Knockout sighed as he reclined in his seat, eyes sliding shut as he went again over the day's events.

He'd had to hook up to his Jaeger a couple of times with the students who could actually move the mecha. The connection each time had felt so…empty, compared to when he used to Drift with Breakdown. He missed it –the sensation of melding minds with the one who was like a brother to him, the exchange of memories and mixing of consciousness' until they were like a single person, moving the Jaeger with ease…

With a scowl, Knockout shook his head violently to rid his mind of those thoughts, ignoring how his heart twisted violently at the thought of Breakdown. This wasn't the time or place, and thinking about the past would only depress him.

Right now he just wanted to forget everything.

* * *

It was almost the end of the second day, and Knockout was ready to just wrap things up so he could go back to his normal life.

Rolling his shoulders, he glanced at the technician who was helping him run the assessments, Steve.

"How many left?"

"Just a few." Steve replied, a smile twitching at his lips as he looked over the datapad in his hands. "The next one's being sent up now –Jackson Darby, age sixteen."

Knockout groaned, rubbing a hand over his head.

"For the love of all things good, please let him not be an irritating little prick…"

Steve snorted.

Both men looked up as an engineer entered with a teenager in tow. The boy wasn't anything remarkable really, with short raven hair and peach skin. He was average height, and lithely built. But his eyes…

His eyes were a simple dark blue, but when Knockout met his eyes, the man felt paralyzed for a split second. There was… _something_ in the boy's gaze, Knockout couldn't quite place it though. He could see intelligence, and worry, but there was something else, something that made this boy so different from all the other kids who'd come through so far.

The engineer who'd escorted the teen left, and, regaining his senses, Knockout gestured the boy over.

"Well? Come on, we don't have all evening, lets get you suited up. The sooner we get these tests done, the sooner you can get out of here."

The teen, Jack, hesitantly moved over, allowing Knockout to position him on one of the pilot platforms.

With skill that came from years as a pilot and top Jaeger engineer, Knockout pieced together the pilot suit around Jack with Steve's aid. The teenager held still, allowing them to do their work and not bothering them with endless questions like some of the other kids had –a relief to Knockout, truthfully. As Steve helped Jack put on the pilot helmet and ensured the boy could hear him well through its internal comlink, Knockout went to retrieve the spinal connector, treating the important piece of tech with the utmost care. The red-headed pilot paused though, looking up when two people entered.

"Optimus. Megatron." He acknowledged, going back to Jack. "Doing your rounds? Any of the other pilots kill any annoying kids yet?"

While Optimus offered a disapproving look at the off-color joke, a smirk twitched at Megatron's lips.

"Not yet, no."

"We won't bother you for long, we are simply ensuring everything is well with each pilot and their assigned technician, and checking that each Jaeger is still working optimally." Optimus rumbled as he and Megatron moved to look over the datapad Steve had abandoned, where the Jaeger's system output was displayed on the glowing screen.

Knockout was honestly surprised when Jack hardly twitched at the presence of the two leaders. Most teenagers would jump at the chance to actually talk to the famous Optimus and Megatron, KO had been sure there would be an issue.

But Jack only cast the brothers a long, curious glance before going back to inspecting the H.U.D display in his helmet.

Knockout felt an odd prickle of anticipation race up his spine as he lined up the spinal connector and put it in place. Plates shifted and clicked into place, and the boy, who'd been so tense, immediately relaxed. The reaction was so odd compared to how all of the previous students had acted upon being fully suited up that it made Knockout pause for a moment. Usually, people became nervous when they were suited up for the first time, but Jack…

Shaking off his surprise, Knockout moved around to stand to the side of Jack, where the boy could see him but wouldn't have his view out of the Jaeger blocked. Steve went to a glowing blue projection screen to the left of the control pit that showed the vitals of Jack and, soon would show the stability of the connection Jack would possibly make with the mecha. Optimus and Megatron remained at the back, looking over the datapad still.

"Alright kid, we'll take this nice and slow." Knockout sighed, crossing his arms as he looked up at the boy. "Right now, the Jaeger is offline, and it won't be going anywhere unless you manage to sync up with it, but don't take that as permission to move around like a spaz, alright?"

Jack nodded in understanding.

"Okay."

The warm, quiet voice caught Knockout offguard for a split second, but he recovered quickly and continued on.

"Now, we're going to pull the Jaeger online and see if we can get it to sync up with you." Knockout offered Steve a nod as he said this, and the technician went to do just as Knockout had said. There was a low, humming whir as the Jaeger's main systems slowly came on. "You'll probably feel a bit weird as all the systems turn on, that's natural. Its alright if your head feels a bit…well, it'll feel a bit like there's static jumping around in there. So don't panic, alright? Its normal."

Knockout paused to assess whether or not Jack was panicking or at the very least uncomfortable, but aside from a slight twitch as the systems started to fully come online, there wasn't much of a reaction, the boy continuing to stare down at Knockout as he listened to his instructions. Knockout resisted the urge to frown in confusion.

"Now there's no guarantee that you'll sync with the Jaeger. It takes a very specific mind to connect with a mecha. But if it turns out you have the right stuff, it'll take anywhere between ten to fifteen minutes usually to sync fully with the Jaeger, since you're so new to it and will likely unconsciously resist the-"

"He's synced up."

Knockout's voice died in his throat as Steve called this.

 _What_?

Knockout turned to look at Steve, brow furrowed. Even Optimus and Megatron seemed bewildered, leaving behind the datapad to go join Steve in looking at the screen projection. Megatron looked to Knockout, nodding in confirmation –and Knockout was glad to see that Megatron was expressing just as much confusion as him.

It wasn't that quick sync-ups were uncommon –most pilots, after a few years, could manage to sync up within a minute. But Jack wasn't a pilot. He was a teenage boy who hadn't ever stepped foot into a Jaeger, let alone been hooked up to one. Yet here he was, managing to have synced with Knockout's Jaeger within two minutes.

Glancing up at Jack momentarily with a pensive expression, Knockout uncrossed his arms before turning his eyes back to Steve.

"What's the connection strength?"

"Uh…Strong enough that I'd hurry up and tell him to not move his feet or he'll end up walking this mecha right out of its charging station?"

A strong enough synchronization that Jack could already move the Jaeger with minimal effort? This was unexpected….and intriguing.

Knockout yelped when the Jaeger suddenly shifted under his feet without warning. KO looked up to find Jack had moved his hand, which in turn made the Jaeger move its own metal servo, and the boy was inspecting the mecha's hand with awe, flexing each digit experimentally.

"Woah! Kid! Kid, take it easy!" Knockout snapped.

This turned out to be a bad idea as Jack's head whipped over to Knockout, and the Jaeger's helm moved with a sudden lurch, sending everyone stumbling. Cursing Knockout managed to regain his balance.

" _Son of a_ \- Kid, stop moving!"

Jack froze.

"S-sorry…"

The boy was now looking confused and…nervous?

Oh. The kid probably thought he was in trouble, with how he'd snapped, KO realized belatedly. Heaving a sigh, the red-head pilot forced himself to calm down.

"Alright Jack," He said, using the boy's name in hopes that it might help soothe the teen. "It looks like you synced up pretty fast, huh? Now, I need you to turn your head forward. Slowly, if you would."

Jack took a deep breath.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

Doing as told, the teen turned back forward. The Jaeger followed his movements smoothly, much to Knockout's relief.

"There you go, just like that. Now, just stay still for a sec so we can make sure everything's running okay." Knockout glanced at Steve. "How are things looking, Steve?"

Shaking off his shock, the technician quickly returned his attention to the projection screen.

"Uh, vitals look good. Aside from a slightly elevated heart rate and heightened brain activity, the kid's perfectly fine."

"And the connection between the boy and the Jaeger?" This question came from Megatron.

"Steady. More than, actually. The Jaeger's picking up on Jackson's brain activity and movements surprisingly well for a first-time connection. All in all, everything looks pretty great, to be honest. The connection is safe and secure, and Jackson seems no worse for wear from it."

Knockout bit the inside of his cheek as he mulled this all over. This boy was showing the most potential out of all of the children so far. It was a bit soon in the assessment, but Knockout figured it was a good time to get himself hooked up to co-pilot. Jaeger's moved a bit slower and steadier when there were two non-Drift compatible pilots working together, so hopefully things jerk and shake so much when the boy moved.

"Steve, c'mon. I need help getting my spinal connector on." Knockout glanced to Jack as he climbed up onto the second pilot's platform, pulling on his own pilot helmet. "Just hold still a bit longer. I'll get synced up with the Jaeger, and we can see how you do working with a second pilot."

It wasn't Steve, but instead Optimus who came to aid Knockout. KO was surprised to feel a ripple of excitement rush over him, an excitement he hadn't felt since his days piloting with Breakdown…

Gently, Optimus pressed the connector into place.

A strangled gasp left Knockout as he was suddenly sinking through memory after memory. Memories that _were not his_.

He and Jack were _Drifting_.

He was faintly aware of Jack off to his right stumbling off the platform, of Optimus rushing to catch the boy and Megatron yelling to Steve to put the Jaeger into emergency shut down, but Knockout's focus was on the images flashing before his eyes. The familiar brush of a second consciousness passed his mind, making Knockout distinctly aware that he suddenly wasn't alone.

A complete stranger became someone who Knockout suddenly knew intimately well as the flow of memories continued even as the Jaeger powered down. He could see a woman with raven hair –June, Jack's mother. He could see the dull browns and oranges of sand and a tiny town, a little boy cowering as outside a kaiju attack raged on.

A man, yelling as he kicked at a cowering child, Jack, not caring that this little boy was his son, that he was capable of such _amazing things_ …

Jack, a child Knockout had never known, was suddenly all but laid bare before him. The child was brave and kind and just….just _amazing_.

And then the boy was suddenly grown, retaining an insatiable curiosity towards anything to do with mechanics. The memories caught up to today, when the boy first connected with Knockout's Jaeger, where instead of panic there was a sensation of excitement and joy as the line between child and machine blurred.

Knockout was abruptly aware of the fear Jack was currently experiencing, and he managed to shake himself free of the boy's memories. Jack was afraid, he didn't understand what was happening, he didn't know about drifting and suddenly nothing was more important than making sure Jack was alright, that the aching fear he was going through was eased-

He was on the floor, Knockout realized as he managed to pull himself back into reality. He was on the floor, with Megatron by his side and trying to help him sit up. Steve was completely freaking out, and to KO's right, Optimus was supporting Jack, speaking softly as he tried to pull the boy out of the memory feedback he was experiencing.

Clumsily wrenching off his helmet, Knockout scrambled over to Jack, for once not caring whether he looked foolish or not. Ignoring the flurry of questions from Steve and Megatron, Knockout reached forward with shaky hands and carefully removed Jack's helmet. The pilot's heart twisted painfully when he found Jack had his eyes squeezed shut to block the world out, the boy's skin pale. He was stuck going through memory feedback.

"You both Drifted, didn't you?"

Knockout's eyes snapped to Optimus at this question. The older man's face was serious, but KO could see the concern for Jack in his bright blue eyes. After a moment, Knockout nodded.

"We did."

And then Knockout's full attention was back on Jack. This reminded KO painfully of how Breakdown had reacted the first time they had Drifted, right down to the pained expression. That meant though that at least he wasn't in unfamiliar territory.

Reaching forward, Knockout gripped Jack's arms firmly, fingers curling around thin biceps.

"Kid, I need you to open your eyes." No response, so Knockout added firmly, " _Jack_."

The fear coming off of Jack in droves lessened for a split second. Emboldened by the small success, KO continued to try and get through to the teen.

"Jack, I need you to open your eyes for me, alright? What you see in your head right now? Its only old memories, it isn't actually happening, I promise. What you're seeing right now are just some of my old memories, from the connection you and I shared trying to use the Jaeger. Its not real." Again the fear died away, and Knockout ordered again, "Open your eyes."

Jack finally did as he was told, prying his eyes open. The dark blue orbs were glazed over, but there was a flicker of recognition when they fell on Knockout, and this was followed by the boy finally pulling out of the memory feedback. One of the boy's trembling hands latched onto Knockout's, desperately seeking some form of comfort, something that was there and was _real_ , as opposed to the memories h'd just gone through. Knockout managed a grin, despite the queasy feeling in his stomach.

"Good job, kid."

* * *

It was around nine in the evening that Knockout found himself sitting in the medbay beside Jack, the teen out cold on a medical cot.

After the impromptu Drifting session, Jack hadn't managed to remain conscious long, the foreign act of Drifting taxing on the boy. Immediately, Jack had been taken to the medbay to get checked over to ensure he was unharmed both physically and mentally, and then he'd been placed in a cot to rest.

Knockout had taken place sitting by his bedside and hadn't moved since.

"Its rare for one to find a second person they are Drift compatible with."

Optimus glanced over at his brother. Both were in the door way, watching their red-headed friend.

"Rare, but not unheard of." Optimus gently corrected, soft eyes continuing to watch the two occupants of the medbay. Megatron grunted, crossing his arms.

"I can't decide if this is a good thing or not. Its been two years since Breakdown's death, the wound's still fresh for Knockout."

Optimus smiled slightly, gaze sliding to Megatron.

"Yet have you seen how Knockout regards the boy? He's wary, yes, as well as uncomfortable…But also hopeful. And _excited_."

Megatron tilted his head, frowning.

"He hardly knows the boy."

Optimus chuckled.

"Megatron, you know that does not matter. They Drifted together, they now know one another better than anyone else." Optimus looked back to Knockout. "And it seems Knockout saw something about the boy he liked."

Megatron didn't say it aloud, but he hoped that just maybe this would help Knockout finally heal.

For Knockout, this was a second chance.


End file.
